Out
by Gosurori-Otaku
Summary: He hadn't meant to come out like that. And now it's much worse than he anticipated. The Vongola family might have been understanding in the beginning, but nowadays it's much more complicated. onesided 5927, friendship 8059
1. Outed

**He hadn't meant to come out like that. And now it's much worse than he anticipated. The Vongola family might have been understanding at the very beginning, but now it's much more complicated. [onesided 5927]**

_**Warning- this fic isn't suitable for those who don't like slash. There is also a lot of implied stuff, but it's not graphic. **_

It was impossible for him to pinpoint the moment his feelings changed from those of a subordinate who dutifully followed his master to... well, whatever you could call him now. A totally inapporopriate guardian? A seriously messed-up loner? An obsessed, horny teenager? Hah. He was a joke. There was no way he could be a decent right-hand-man, not when he felt like... _that_. No way in hell.

For a while now, he'd been pretending to himself that if he ignored what his body was telling him, everything might be okay. After all, he wasn't sure on what the Tenth's reactions might be, or- and this was even more terrifying- the reactions of the rest of the Vongola. After all, the first generation might have been understanding and probably kind of helpful. But now? No. After the First retired, acceptance had faded and the Family was rigid in its beliefs. Better to just hide those feelings. Noone had to know. Noone _could_ know.

Sometimes, when he had time, he'd just sit back and think about where this had gone wrong. He'd despised girls when he was tiny- like all the other little Vongola boys. Bianchi's poison cooking hadn't helped, either. But then they grew up, and most of his childhood friends were dating and discussing in depth which Vongola girls were hottest. Honestly, Hayato had no idea where to begin. And that was okay- not having any interest in relationships or sex was actually preferred in most Mafia families- less inappropriate decisions were made, less blackmail could be used. Besides, relationships were dangerous. In the Mafia, people died all the time. You couldn't tell when the next target might be your husband or wife, girlfriend or boyfriend. And then there were the rumours of what would be done to those who defied the 'natural' status quo.

So when Yamamoto dragged the truth from his lips that one afternoon, Hayato couldn't believe what he'd just confessed to. That night was spent lying awake in bed, wishing fervently that the day had never happened. His life was over.

_"Hey, why do you follow Tsuna the way you do?" The dark-haired boy looked at him, questioningly. It was a strange question, from out of the blue. Inside Hayato's head, alarm bells rang, and panic welled up. One thought kept blaring away inside his skull: _He can't know. No way.

_"What do you mean?" he asked, managing to keep a blank expression._

_"Well, I'm playing this game for him 'cause he saved me. It's the least I can do, you know? If it wasn't for him, I'd be dead by now. And... I guess I'm just curious to know why you follow him so devotedly. It's just a game, right?" _

_"I guess... I just really want to win. And I'd hate it if Tsuna got hurt, that's all." That would have been enough for most people. Not Yamamoto._

_"Yeah..." Yamamoto was silent for a couple of seconds. "But _why_? You haven't told me anything. Did Tsuna do something for you? Are you related? Family friend?"_

_As Yamamoto kept talking, asking questions, _prying_, Hayato couldn't help but mull over the past few months. The fluttering in his chest whenever Tsuna said something to him. The way his thoughts seemed to gravitate towards the Tenth, no matter what he did._

_"Come on. Talk to me. I really want to know more about you- if we're going to be guardians together, we should be friends, right?" _

_The surprise and horror at the way his body began responding to even the presence of the Tenth. The fantasies that seemed to just... appear in his head, the ones that always ended with him gasping for breath, sticky from sweat, desperately wiping away his own fluids and praying that his father would never find out what--_ who _he'd been thinking of during the past few frantic minutes. _

_"If you're not going to tell me, I'm going to guess. Are you childhood friends? Distant relatives?" _

_It got so much worse after their trip to the future. His older self had evidently held the same feelings for the Tenth that he did- the fact that he was still by the coffin, the photos of the Guardians and their boss held in his older self's briefcase. Most of the photos showed the Boss, though. And after the visions and apparitions of the First Vongola, Hayato suddenly realised how much Tsuna resembled his ancestor. Of couse, he'd seen the old, dusty paintings before- all members of the Vongola had. _

_And that just made the incredibly detailed, amazingly erotic dreams all the worse. Set in the future, the First and Tenth blurring into one person, passionate kissing and hushed proclamations of love until they became the most shameful fantasies he'd ever had. His imaginary boss looked at him with pure lust and Hayato found himself being brought to the height of pleasure by careful licks, gentle caresses; deep, slow suc--_

_"... in love with him, are you?" Yamamoto was grinning again, this time chuckling. Hayato's blood ran cold._

_"...What?" Hayato gazes into Yamamoto's eyes, terrified that his life might be over._

_"Huh? Oh, you weren't responding to anything else I was saying, so I decided to try more... outlandish suggestions, I guess. Hey, but you actually responded." Yamamoto's grin turned mischevious. "So I guess this means you're secretly in love with Tsuna, huh?" His tone was simple teasing, friendly mockery. But it was suddenly too much for Hayato. He never fully understood why he snapped. Or why he snapped so violently.  
_

_"Yes! Yes, that's exactly how it is!" Hayato exploded at his comrade. He shoved Yamamoto against a nearby wall. "You're right! I _am_ in love with him!" He punched the other boy hard, and Yamamoto didn't try to defend himself. He just stared at Hayato in pure shock, as Hayato raged at him and started mixing his native tongue into the already garbled, painful mess. As Hayato realised what he'd just said, confessed to, he stopped, hands shaking. Yamamoto slid down the wall, the beginnings of a black eye forming and his nose bloody._

_There was nothing to say as Hayato took a step backwards, suddenly horrified by what he'd just done. One thought kept echoing through his mind as Yamamoto looked at him in fear and stood, trying to wipe away the blood on his face with one hand._

What have I done? Tsuna will never forgive me for this.

_"S-sorry. I'm so sorry!" Hayato manages to blurt out, and retreats, soon running to the safety of home. Later, he starts texting Yamamoto. _

_i'm srry. _

_can we forget wht hppned?_

_im beggn u, pls dnt tell ny1._

_im so srry, pls dnt say a word._

_Yamamoto wasn't signed into any internet site, as far as Hayato could tell. He wasn't on instant messenger or any chat rooms. Not picking up his phone; mobile, home or sushi shop. He reached Yamamoto's dad, though, and manages to blurt out a quick 'I'm sorry about what happened' message to be given to Yamamoto ASAP._

_The rest of the night, he doesn't know what to do and lies awake, berating himself for his stupidity._

His life is well and truly over.

**Not finished yet, don't you worry. It would be awesome to know what you think of it, though. So drop off a review, I don't care if it's just a few words long- even a 'it was alright' would be awesome.**


	2. Conversations

**He hadn't meant to come out like that. And now it's much worse than he anticipated. The Vongola family might have been understanding at the very beginning, but now it's much more complicated. [onesided 5927]**

_**Wow! I wasn't expecting such positive reviews! This is my first 'serious' slash, so... yeah.**_

The next day at school had been unbearable. Yamamoto hadn't shown up, and that meant it was Hayato's fault that Tsuna was so worried.

"Do you think something bad happened to him?" Tsuna asked, probably anxious that they would all have to start battling random enemies again.

"Dunno." Hayato replied. "Prob'ly just sick."

"It's just..." Tsuna began fidgeting. "Today is baseball practise. Yamamoto loves baseball to pieces. He'd drag himself into school even if he was sick just to play."

"Don't worry. We can go round his place after school finishes. Make sure he's okay." Hayto said, immediately regretting it. _He won't want to see me. He'll tell Tsuna what happened. He probably already said something._

And that was what they did, walking slower than either of them liked.

"I hope he's okay." Tsuna mumbled.

"...Yeah." Hayato nodded, trying to repress the sudden flare of dark envy that had erupted.

Eventually they reached the sushi shop, and found their friend talking to his father. Hayato managed to catch a little of their converstaion before he and Tsuna entered.

"... don't know what to do... really violent..."

"...nothing for it... up for yourself... sounds confused..."

"... guess you're right... maybe I should..."

"... to work... customers approaching..." Hayato followed Tsuna through the doorway.

"Welcome-- oh, it's you two." Yamamoto's dad blinked, slightly surprised. "Takeshi! Come outta the kitchen! Your friends are here!"

"Huh? Hi, guys!" Yamamoto emerged from the kitchen, wiping his hands on a dishcloth. Hayato could hear Tsuna's sharp intake of breath at the bruising on his friend's face. Purple, green and black splodges adorn Yamamoto's face like some kind of sick painting.

"What happened to your face?" Tsuna demanded.

_No. Please don't say anything. I'm so sorry._

"Huh? This? Oh." Yamamoto chuckled, and glanced at Hayato for a split second. "Funny story, actually. See, I was walking home and I fell down this really huge hill. All my baseball gear fell with me, and you can see the result. Don't worry, though. it looks a lot worse than it actually is- Dad thought I shouldn't go to school today, just in case I had concussion or something."

_What?_

"Just worried about you, Takeshi." Yamamoto's dad interjected. "You're lucky you weren't hurt badly."

"You should really be more careful." Tsuna sighs.

"Yeah, I'm getting clumsy, aren't I?" Yamamoto grinned sheepishly.

_Why?_

"We were really worried at school today. Right, Gokudera?"

"Huh? Y-yeah. Don't make us worry like that." He had to find out what Yamamoto was thinking. What was he playing at?

"Well... we just wanted to make sure you were okay, Yamamoto. Are you coming to school tomorrow?"

"I think so. Unless I have an even worse accident!" Yamamoto's grin didn't falter for a second. After Tsuna and Hayato say their goodbyes, Hayato whips out his phone and quickly sends a text to Yamamoto, just when Tsuna is distracted by Kyoko.

_meet me on the school roof at lunch 2morro_

As he studied the two of them, blissfully unaware of the jealously that's threatening to eat him from the inside, he couldn't help but wish that Tsuna's love wouldn't work out. And the overwhelming guilt from that simple wish burned worse than the fear of what might to happen next.

---

Yamamoto didn't show up at lunch. All through their lessons, Hayato steals quick glances at him, and prays that the day will just finish already, so he can ask what the fuck is going on. And he does, as the class empties at the end of the day.

"You didn't show up on the roof today."

"Huh?" Yamamoto genuinely looked confused. Didn't he get the text? Hayato knew he sent it- he only re-read it a hundred times, and hoped.

"I sent you a text."

"Oh. Um. This is going to sound really dumb, but... I lost it." The grin was back.

"What?"

"I think it'll turn up soon enough- someone's bound to have found it and handed it in. It'll be back eventually. I only really used it for the alarm setting, to be honest."

"That explains a lot." Hayato said, and gave him a brief rundown of the texts he'd sent.

"Wow. Anyone going through that would think I was blackmailing you or something!"

"Isn't that what you're going to do?" He didn't know why he said that. Yamamoto? Blackmail? In the same sentence? No way! At least, that's what the gift of hindsight said to him later, laughing at him as he tried to go to sleep.

"What?" Yamamoto's expression flashed to annoyance. Something that Hayato had never seen. "You think I'd blackmail you because of who you are? _Seriously?"_

Hayato doesn't know what to say. He steps away from Yamamoto's desk, concentrating on an interesting piece of flooring. He shakes his head sadly.

"We're friends, aren't we?! Sure, it's a little weird that you're--" Yamamoto hesitated slightly, and skipped the word. "I'd never _blackmail_ you!"

"...Sorry." Hayato's face is getting hot, he knows he's blushing- why did he make such a stupid mistake?

There's silence.

"No." Yamamoto says, an uncharacterisically serious look on his face. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have made fun of you the other day- it's just... I wouldn't have thought you were anything but straight, if I'm being totally honest. And I'm sorry for losing my phone and making you panic."

"I shouldn't have hurt you. And I shouldn't have accused you."

Yamamoto started grinning again.

"So now we're both in the wrong, how about some sushi? My place, my treat."

"Sounds good."

...

"I told my dad what happened." Yamamoto said, chopsticks hovering over the sushi platter. "We can talk all we want here. Besides, we never get any customers at this time."

"Right." Hayato stared blankly at the dish in question. He knew a little about Japanese food, but... nothing about the hundreds of different types of sushi there was. But Yamaoto's dad was hovering around the other end of the resturaunt, and it would be rude not to eat anything.

"So." Yamamoto started, conversationally. "How are you feeling?"

_Stupid question to start with._

"All right. Better than I have in a long time."

"Really? Maybe it's because you finally opened up to someone."

"I've opened up to the Tenth, baseball freak." Hayato gave the other guy a glare, but it didn't affect Yamamoto's sunny mood in the slightest.

"I mean completely. You've been bottling your feelings up for a while, haven't you?" Of course Yamamoto would want to know more about him. And really, after their encounter the other day, Hayato owed him that much.

"Yeah. My family... aren't very understaning about that kind of thing." Hayato explains. "Very strict. If my dad knew..."

"...You'd be worse than dead?" Yamamoto shot him a pained grin. "I feel for you. At least for me, I think my dad would still be happy for me if I was, you know."

"You're lucky. My family have really strong views on this kind of thing." If Yamamoto felt awkward saying the word, then Hayato wouldn't say it either.

"What would they do to you?"

"I don't know exactly. But there are rumours."

"How about your close family?"

"My dad is very traditional. He'd disown me in a split second."

"Sounds fun." Yamamoto was surprisingly good with sarcasm.

"Yeah."

"Fifteen years of keeping a secret that huge. That's pretty good going."

"I didn't really _know_ until I met Tsuna. So it's about a year I guess."

"Still good."

Hayato snorted. Everything suddenly seemed brighter, a great change from the last two days of pain and anxiety.

Well, for a while, anyway.

**Aah...! I'm on a roll! I won't promise a specific update schedule, but... in a few weeks I'll be able to write more. ('study' leave at school. Lol. I'm going to need to be able to do something to ease the stress of exams.)**

**Anyway! What did you think? Drop a review by me, guys! :)**


	3. Nightmare

**He hadn't meant to come out like that. And now it's much worse than he anticipated. The Vongola family might have been understanding at the very beginning, but now it's much more complicated. [onesided 5927]**

_**Wow. I'm a bit surprised I've gotten so many reviews. My updating is gonna be a bit more random from now, because I've got exams starting in a few weeks (strange how spread out they all are) and I have to do *some* revision. **_

**Melissa_42: It was really nice to see your comments, and I'm writing a reply here so everyone can see this- I've told a couple of reviewers this, but for those who want to know, I'm currently thinking on putting a little 8059 into some later chapters. Not a lot of it, but I think it might prove useful to the plot. **

"I think you should tell Reborn." The sentence came from nowhere, and Yamamoto looked serious.

"What?"

"He'll be able to give you some advice. He might just be a baby, but he knows pretty much everything!" Yamamoto could never supress his smile for long. It flashed back before Yamamoto could stop talking.

"No."

"Why not?"

"Ssh! Don't be so loud! We're in class!" Hayto looked suspiciously around him at the other students. They were milling around, eating lunch. Fairly noisily, too. It was a couple of days since their conversation in the sushi shop, and things had been going well. Until five seconds ago.

"Okay, I get it. Look, I know that you don't want anyone to know, but I really think Reborn can help you out."

"With what? I'm fine."

"Yeah. Sure." Yamamoto's tone was... weird. Hayato couldn't figure out exactly what Yamamoto meant. In anyone else, that would be...

"You're really bad at sarcasm." Yamamoto ignored this pathetic attempt at an insult.

"The point is, I think you need help. Remember what happened? You know, with my face?" Yamamoto gestured at the faded bruising.

"I thought you got over that." Hayato rolled his eyes. He still felt bad about that.

"I did! What I'm trying to say here is that you need to express yourself. Bottling everything up isn't good for you. It'll make you go _bald."_ Yamamoto told his friend with utter conviction. _Of course Yamamoto would believe in an old wives' tale like that._

"I have opened up. I've opened up to you, haven't I?"

Yamamoto shifted his weight slightly. There was a slight pink tinge to his ears.

"Wait. You don't mean...?" Hayato was horrified. Yamamoto nodded slightly, carefully inspecting a patch of wall to his right.

_No way. Privately coming out of the closet was bad enough, but publicly? No. The rest of the Vongola will be after my blood._

There was another silence.

"I thought I'd made it clear to you. I can't." Hayato gritted his teeth. "Did you even listen to a word I said?"

"Noone in Italy has to know! It's just your Italian relatives, right? Just tell the other Guardians!"

"And have them tell the Tenth?"

"I'm certain they'll keep your secret. Or at least most of them will. I mean, I don't think that Lambo even knows what..." Yamamoto stopped. He sighed. "Look, just think about it. Promise me that."

Hayato nodded half-heartedly. His mind was made up. No way.

...

That night sucked. He'd headed straight home after school to think about everything, certain that he couldn't do what Yamamoto was asking him. And then his thoughts had wandered. From what his dad would do to him, Bianchi, and then his mother. He'd forced himself away from that train of thought, but it came back worse than ever when he was asleep.

_Today had been perfect. It hadn't been anything special, just... being together. Sharing little kisses. Spending time, just the two of them. Now in the park, lying on green grass in the dying sunlight, Hayato stared at the sky. Something so simple as holding hands in the twilight was... well, nice. And best of all, nobody interrupted them. In fact, the others seemed happy._

_And then he heard her. _

_"Hayato...? Hayato, where are you?"_

_He sat up. _

_"Mother?"_

_"Hayato...! It's your mother! Don't make me worry! Please..." The voice is slowly getting further away. Hayato is certain who it is, and tears his hand away from Tsuna. He stands, starts sprinting to where he heard the voice. Through trees and bushes- why is he in the woods- trying to find the source of the sobbing he now hears all around him._

_"Hayato!"_

_Stumbling, dodging twigs and branches, the woodlands weren't this dead and shadowy a few seconds ago. He finally falls, and it doesn't hurt, but he can't get back up._

_He lifts his head. She's there, tears dripping from her chin._

_"Mother?"_

_"Who are you? Do you know where my baby is?" Horror floods thorugh him, like ice._

_  
"Mother? Mother! It's me! Hayato!" He's desperate- she has to know it's him! She has to!_

_She regards him silently for a second._

_"Do you know my son? Have you seen my baby boy?"  
_

_"What? Come on! Mama, it's Haya-chan! Remember? It's me!" He's crying now, and he's getting colder and colder and his tears are like ice._

_"I don't know you. My son's nothing like you."_

_"What? Mama! You're not serious!"_

_"You are not my son. You're not my baby boy. Where is he? What have you done with him?"_

_"What?! Please, mama!" Hayato interrupts her. She's still talking though, getting more and more desperate._

_"You're nothing like, him, Haya-chan isn't digsusting like you! He's not a disgrace! He's innocent!"_

_"Mama, do you know what you're saying?! I'm not--"_

_"He's not a useless, stupid faggot!"_

_He's too shocked to even breathe properly. Fuck. It's his mother. Oh God. No. No, she can't think that. She loves him. She _loves_ him. _

_"You've got to choose." a voice says from behind him. Hayato turns to see him, the incredibly hot, older Tenth that appears in his dreams. His heart stops for a second. Then that mouth, those amazingly kissable lips open and that oh-so-velvet voice begins again._

_"It's either her or me."_

Hayato woke up, tangled in his sheets, cold sweat soaking him. The clock by his bed read 2:12 AM. Great.

Maybe he should just take tomorrow off. Yamamoto's words were _killing_ him, and there was no way he could make a decision that would please his friend. How the hell could he face the guy? He'd always thought that emotional pain was a pathetic purple description from bad poets and melodramatic teenage girls. But he knew better now. This was agony.

**...I've just realised I tend to switch tenses more than I thought. The next chapters will undergo a serious bout of checking so I don't end up posting stuff that doesn't make sense. I'm so used to writing in first person, present tense that any other writing is proving to be difficult....**

**So, your thoughts?**


	4. Secrets

**He hadn't meant to come out like that. And now it's much worse than he anticipated. The Vongola family might have been understanding at the very beginning, but now it's much more complicated. **

_**Well... I'm really happy about how well this fic is going. Usually by now I would have lost interest or something, but I think that I've actually thought up a plot I'd feel interested in reading. If I wasn't the one writing it, that is. Hm. Anyway, enough of my random thoughts. You guys are here for the story, so... voila!**_

_Dammit. _Hayato grimaced as he saw Yamamoto walking in his direction, and ducked behind a group of girls huddled in the corridor. _There has to be a better way of buying time for myself._ The other Guardian walked on, cheerfully as always. Hayato almost let out the breath he was holding. Until--

"Aren't you Gokudera?" One of the girls he was hiding behind noticed him. "Like, what are you doing?"

"Huh?" one of them gasped, turning scarlet. "Oh!"

_Just what I need. Fangirls._

"Ssh! I'm hiding!" he hissed. The girls looked slightly surprised, but obediently turned back around, giggling and chattering. Hayato looked around, slowly. Yamamoto was gone. Hayato sighed, and stood up. So did Yamamoto, from the other side of the gaggle of high school girls, all of whom were giggling and blushing.

"Hi, Gokudera!" the other boy said, smiling in a strangely melancholic way.

"Hi." Hayato mumbled, slowly shuffling his way back to the classroom. And stopped. Yamamoto had moved in front of him, still smiling sadly.

These awkward silences were really getting too frequent.

"Sorry." Yamamoto shrugged. "I shouldn't have asked you to do that thing for me yesterday." At least he could talk cryptically enough that the other students didn't understand their conversations.

There wasn't much Hayato could say to that.

"Don't worry."

"But I do! We work together. We're classmates. We're friends. Your wellbeing is important for the group as a whole. Remember that saying? The one about every part of the body moving in harmony?"

"I think it's a religious saying." Hayato interjected, sullenly.

"Right, and that's important, because if one part of the body doesn't work right or breaks down, then the whole body can't function."

"So you're saying I'm sick or bordering insane? Thanks." Of course Hayato really knew what Yamamoto was driving at, but admitting he knew what his friend was saying also meant that he would have to admit that his friend was right about... everything else. And that would mean--

"No. You know what I'm saying. And I know you'll hate me for this and at the moment, I hate me, too. I told Tsuna."

_No._ Hayato was beyond speechless. It was like the silence of his voice spread to his mind, too. He couldn't think. This wasn't happening. This _couldn't_ happen. _That bastard._

"Not about your feelings, but I told him you... you weren't..." Yamamoto looked around, and whispered into the other's ear. "I told him you were gay, but..." He moved away again. "Nothing else! Nothing at all! I said you were having problems because of it, that your dad wasn't happy. That is it. I swear, that's all. And I'm so sorry, but if you repress yourself like you have been, then next time, things might be even worse- remember when we were fighting Gamma? And I told you not to put so much pressure on Tsuna? That's what's starting to happen to me and it's because you shut everything up inside--"

...

Meanwhile, in another part of the school (really, in a nearby classroom), Tsuna was sitting alone, wondering where his two friends were. His question was going to be answered in a matter of seconds. Reborn was nowhere to be found and both of his friends had been acting strangely recently. Being out of the loop was just... depressing. And so was what Yamamoto had spoken to him on the phone about yesterday. Well, that wasn't quite the way to put it. It was more like--

"Gokudera and Yamamoto are fighting in the halls!" a student yelled desperately, from the door. "They won't stop!"

And with that, worried students surged into the halls. After all, Yamamoto was the star player, and the school couldn't win the next tournament if he got hurt badly. Not to mention he was probably the nicest guy to ever live in Tokyo. As for Gokudera... he was easily the most intelligent guy in the school. Those two were not only assets to the school, but also to their classmates, whether they would admit it or not.

All that could be seen from the classroom was a huge knot of students trying to view the fight. Tsuna tried in vain to push past the crowd, but there were so many of them- packed together like animals, all of them craning to get a glimpse of the promised carnage.

"Let me through." Hibari appeared, aloof as ever. Students silently parted, none of them wishing to be on the recieving end of Hibari's tonfa attacks. As the student council president walked through the crowd, Tsuna followed him before the other students could close up the gap.

When they finally arrived at the centre of the disturbance, Tsuna was shocked. It was understandable, really. Both his guardians were looking worse for the wear- Gokudera was furiously kicking his opponent, trying to dodge Yamamoto's surprisingly powerful lunges. Neither of them were any good at hand-to-hand combat, but it seemed to most of the onlookers as if the Storm guardian was trying to cause as much pain as humanly possible to Yamamoto in some kind of beserker rage; while the Rain guardian was attempting to incapacitate the other boy, avoiding as many attacks as possible. Which, unfortunately for the baseball team, was not many.

"Stop." Hibari glared at the fighting boys. "Causing a disturbance and fighting on school property is forbidden by the student handbook. Try it again and I'll bite you to death."

Neither fighter was listening. Well, to be more precise, Hayato wasn't listening. Yamamoto seemed to be trying to block the other's attacks. Hibari's glare somehow intensified. He drew his tonfa and prepared to attack.

"Stop it!" Tsuna managed to yell. "Stop fighting!"

Hayato hesitated. Yamamoto took this oppurtunity to trip the other boy and talk to Hibari and Tsuna.

"I'm really sorry about--"

"Don't move, Hayato Gokudera. You've already disobeyed me once. You will be punished." The boy being addressed froze, and resumed his position, awkwardly sprawled on the floor. Hibari turned to Yamamoto. "Continue."

"I'm sorry. Ah... I upset Gokudera..."Yamamoto seemed to be trying to think of the best way to put this. "...and it's basically my fault. Um. I'm really sorry."

"...Me too." Hayato said, from near the floor. "Promise not to hit me whith those tonfa."

"I promise nothing." Hibari shut his eyes briefly. He addressed the crowd. "Your lessons are about to start. You shouldn't be late. I'll have to bite you to death if you disobey." The last threat wasn't needed. The corridor emptied shockingly fast.

"W-what were you guys doing?!" Tsuna demanded. "Why were you fighting like that?!"

Yamamoto shifted uncomfortably.

"You know what we talked about? On the phone, yesterday?" Tsuna nodded, slowly.

"Oh."

"You had no right!" Hayato hissed. He was obviously still pissed off, but he didn't particularly want to face Hibari's personal brand of wrath.

"What are you talking about?" Hibari demanded. "What did you talk about?" Yamamoto looked at Hayato. He was silent.

"Want me to tell him?" Yamamoto asked, sounding slightly timid.

"Go ahead. You've already told one person, what's the rest of the world going to matter?" Hayato grinned at his classmate, bitterly.

"I didn't mean--"

"I'm gay." Hayato interrupted, loudly. "And Yamamoto can't keep his mouth shut." Luckily for Hayato, the classroom doors were firmly shut and class was now in session.

"That is not an excuse to break the rules, Hayato Gokudera." Hibari said, severely. "You will both be punished."

"Whatever. I'm going home. I feel sick." Hayato spun around and stode down the hall, without waiting for an answer.

Hibari was still for a second, as if trying to decide whether to give chase or not. The School Council President turned the other way and went to... wherever he hung out.

There was silence in the corridor. Tsuna turned to Yamamoto.

"We should get to class." He tugged at the other boy's sleeve.

"...I'm such an idiot." Yamamoto's usual smile had disappeared. Now he just looked... sad.

This was going to be awkward.

**The next update is most likely going to be next week, either Monday or Tuesday- I'm going away for the weekend with a bunch of people and until late Sunday, I'm not going to have a chance to write- but it's going to be easier from here on out because I've finally got the plot rolling! You guys can expect (generally) longer chapters.**


	5. Promise

**He hadn't meant to come out like that. And now it's much worse than he anticipated. The Vongola family might have been understanding at the very beginning, but now it's much more complicated. **

_**Yay! I had an awesome weekend! And... now school is back, so I have to work. But Simple Plan, Superchick and tea are an awesome combination. :) And for those who don't like swearing, then... tough. This is rated as an 'M' primarily for violence and language. Which will probably escalate.**_

_**Also, apologies for the length. Shorter than I expected to manage, but I thought I should give it to you guys anyway.**_

_He had no right! How dare he! Dammit! How the hell could Yamamoto even _think_ that betraying him would be a great idea?!_

It was midnight, and Hayto couldn't sleep. Probably wouldn't, full stop. He'd spent the last twelve hours raging at his apartment, and he didn't feel any better. It was a mess, what few personal belongings he had were broken beyond repair and everything else was overturned. So now he was clearing up, trying not to think.

It wasn't working.

_Fuck! I told Hibari, and I admitted it in front of the Tenth... I... Shit!_

He should've known that the rosy little bubble he'd been living in the last... how long was it? Week? Week and a half? Well, the point was, that bubble had burst. He should have just ignored everything, acted cold. Hell, he should have ignored Tsuna and never come to Japan!

He should have become a musician or something! That was respecable, that would have been basically permanant emplyoment by the Vongola. He could have lain low, kept in his father's good books. And now... Bianchi was going to hear. And that meant father would, too. And that meant the rest of the family, and the Ninth, and those disapproving, disappointed faces, all of them asking why he couldn't be a good Catholic boy or whatever religion said relative followed.

And then after the inital disappointment and the realisation that Hayato could never be anything but himself, there would be the fierce, almost confrontational hatred of what he was, the dirty looks and the exclusion from the others. And eventually he would be left with nothing. Nothing at all.

_Oh God... What the hell am I meant to do?_

Right. First things first- school was only until lunch tomorrow- it was a Saturday. And the next day was obviously Sunday, and... well, he'd take the weekend off. He'd say he was sick. Right. Then... well, Yamamoto didn't know where he lived, and neither did Tsuna. He would go to Bianchi and he'd tell her that... uh... that the other guardians had... no. No. There would be nothing like that. He couldn't lie like that. So. Skip school.

"...useless..." Hayto muttered to himself.

"I wouldn't say that." a voice behind him said, conversationally. Hayato jumped at the noise, and spun. It was Reborn.

"What are you doing here?! How did you--?" Hayato spluttered. How long had the assassin been here?! He hadn't... he hadn't been sent out to get Hayato, had he?

"I've heard Tsuna and Yamamoto's conversations. Tsuna even asked me what to do."

Hayato's heart was beating uncontrollably fast, couldn't breathe, nowhere to run. He was actually going to die here, wasn't he?

"W-what did you say to him?"

"To follow the First's example, of course. He's very much like Giotto Vongola."

"The First..?"

_Maybe... maybe there's a little hope._

"Indeed. The First was very kind. He was extremely tolerant and much more understanding than most. He was not the type of person to discriminate against somebody or to disown them. Some would say that tolerance is the only way forward."

"But... not you?" Okay. That was dumb. He would not only die, but die painfully.

"I have no interest in morals or ethics. I need the Vongola boss to excel. That is my job. The logical thing for the Tenth boss to do would be to accept the Storm guardian for who he is."

Relief. That was the only word for what Hayato was feeling. He closed his eyes and the faintest flicker of a smile passed his lips.

"However. You have to prove to the Vongola that your 'affliction' won't harm the Family and that you are a good-- no, you have to be better- an exceptional Guardian. If they are fully satisfied, then you may stand a chance of staying within the Vongola without fear. If you fail, there are a number of punishments that the Vongola have put in place over the past hundred years. Most of them would be for failing a Guardian's duty, but..." Reborn paused. "...some of the current Family are rather... homophobic."

"So what the hell am I supposed to do?" Panic. That was the only thing he could do. Win, and everything would be fine. Lose and there would be no point in existence. Before Reborn mentioned 'consequences', there had been such a bright ray of hope it had almost blinded him. But now it had dimmed, and the source seemed so far away.

"I will train you. Right now, you stand little chance of passing anything. When I'm done, you will stand a chance against the Vongola."

Right. Okay. If Reborn was going to be his trainer, there wouldn't be any problems. From the people at school, it seemed that Tsuna had been very clumsy and accident-prone before Reborn began tutoring him. Not that Hayato could imagine it- Tsuna was, to him, perfect in every possible way. And this was no time to start a painfully girly, romantic reverie over Tsuna's looks. Facts. Right. Tsuna had grown stronger and stronger over the past year, much of which could be accounted for by Reborn's particularly harsh training regime.

_What could be so insanely hard I'd need Reborn to train me?_

"What is the test, anyway?"

Reborn was silent for a second.

"I don't know the details."

_What?! No..._

"W-what?"

"However, I do know that you will probably have to fight some of the best fighters in the Family. As this has caught the attention of the Ninth boss, it is more than likely that you will have to face one of his Guardians, if not the Ninth himself."

"Wait, he knows?!"

"Yes. I am obliged to tell him these things. Your father will be here in the next few days. I have that much time to train you."

"T-the whole family?! They can't--"

"They can. This is a family matter, Hayato. You've caused quite a stir. Most of the family are travelling to this town."

_Shit._

_..._

Morning. Well, afternoon. Reborn had been kind enough to let him sleep and warn Tsuna before the training began. So now, after school, Hayato was standing outside Tsuna's home. Not that he'd been to school. He wouldn't have anything to do with Yamamoto after this. No way.

He knocked.

He waited.

A number of insane sounds and muffled cries rang out as whoever was making their way to the door ran into obstacles. Like Lambo, from the sounds of things, and... ah. Bianchi. Sounded like Lambo had been using the Ten Year's Bazooka again. At least, from the yells of 'Romeo!' he was hearing.

The door burst open, the teenaged Lambo running and screaming, just about managing to dodge Hayato. Bianchi followed suit, thankfully too fast for Hayato to see her face. Hayato sighed, and went in.

He found Tsuna in the dining room.

"Hey."

"Gokudera!" Tsuna looked so... relieved. "I thought you were mad at me." Hayato was slightly surprised, but he remembered how he'd been acting. Not that surprising, on second thought.

"No. Not you. Yamamoto. I could never be mad at you, Tenth." Hayato managed to force a smile. "I'm just here to tell you that I'm going to be doing some training with Reborn, because the Ninth is coming over."

"Huh?" Tsuna looked shocked.

"Didn't Reborn tell you? I want to show him how much stronger I've gotten." Hayto grinned. "Uh... I'll talk to you when Reborn's finished training me up. I have to meet him in a few minutes."

Tsuna nodded. He understood all too well the sheer terror Reborn would unleash for simple lateness.

"See you later." Tsuna smiled, something that made Hayato's heart skip yet another beat. He smiled back.

"Yeah."

**I have an art exam coming up and lots of artwork to finish, so... I wish I could update and write more! But I can't... Ahh... at least Monday is a bank holiday...**

**Anyway, as always, your comments are very welcome!**


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